No. 11
A Nebraska Childhood
Try to imagine living in a world with no television, telephones,
electricity, or cars.
This “world” was very real for the first pioneer children who lived
in Nebraska. When this photograph was taken in 1889 in Custer
County, Nebraska, seven out of ten Nebraskans lived on farms.
Families like the Deerdorff family (shown here) made their living from
farming and lived in sod houses. For the Deerdorff children and
others like them, life on the prairie presented many challenges.
One challenge which Nebraska
children faced was in helping their
families on the farm. Parents often
could not afford to hire other adults to
help with all of the work. They relied
upon their children to do their share.
Rose, Martha, Esther, Dietrich, Jacob,
and Herman Regier helped out with
the milking on their dairy farm near
Henderson, Nebraska, in 1910.
Both boys and girls had many
chores to do. Boys helped to plant and
harvest crops. They also learned to hunt
for food to help feed the family. Girls
helped with gathering eggs, cooking,
cleaning, mending, and taking care of
younger brothers and sisters. Ted and
Jack Dew appear to be enjoying them­
selves. They are gathering cow chips to
use for fuel for their family’s home in
Cherry County in the late 1890s.
Because children were needed to
help at home, they often did not go to
school. For some rural children,
education outside the home was not
seen as a necessity. Those children
who did go to school in the country
attended every day of the week,
except for Sunday, from October to
May. In this way they could be at
home during the main planting and
harvesting seasons.
School was conducted in one
room for all grades. Only eight
grades were taught. School supplies,
like paper and pencils, were difficult
to get on the prairie and were expensive. Students often had to memorize their lessons, or
write on slates. The teacher of this school, Ellen J. Bruner of West Point, Nebraska, found
work teaching children on the prairies of South Dakota in the late 1890s. Today, most students
in Nebraska, even those who live in rural areas, go to school in town.
Bicycles were very popular in the
1890s, but only for boys. A girl riding
a bicycle was frowned upon. Girls
were expected to play with
"genteel, lady-like" games
and toys.
1880s
1890s
People who study the history of toys know that popular
toys appear again and again. Sometimes they are in the
same form; sometimes they are "new and improved." What do
you suppose the toys of the 21st Century will be like? Will
boys and girls of the future play with some of the toys you
play with today?
TOY TIMELINE
1910
1920s
Toy cars and pedal cars were popular
in the 1920s when automobiles were
becoming more common.
1900
1930s
Movie stars and cartoon characters
were favorites in the 1930s. Bicycles were
back, too (even girls could ride them).
Science and television
influenced the 1950s.
1950s
1940s
TODAY
1980s/1990s
Remote control toys, rocket ships,
and space exploration and laser toys
and games have become popular
today. In the space below, make a list
or a drawing of the toys you enjoy
playing with.
1970s
1960s
“When Your Grandparents Were Children”
Your grandparents were probably the same age you are now sometime during the 1920s or
1930s. Did they grow up on a farm or in a town? How was their life different from yours?
During the 1920s, most Nebraska families still lived on farms. However, by 1930 four out of
every ten Nebraska children lived in a town.
Many new inventions in the early twentieth century made life in town seem more inviting to
some Nebraska families. Automobiles, radio, electricity, telephones, and motion pictures
brought many opportunities to children who lived in towns. Children who remained on farms
also found that the same new world was opening up for them to discover.
Prior to 1920, radio was really only a
hobby. Some children made their own
radios, called crystal sets. This is Jerry
Soderholm of Wahoo, Nebraska.
Electricity brought many new things to Nebraska
children living in towns and cities such as refrigerators,
lights, washing machines, toasters, and – above all
else – radios. “Looking at the radio” became a favorite
pastime of Nebraska children and their families. The
first radio broadcast in Nebraska was in October,
1921, on Roland Anderson’s station in Wahoo.
Some Nebraska children actually got to
perform on radio shows themselves. This
postcard was made of Myron Woten. It is likely
that Myron sang and played his guitar on a
radio show on KBGZ in York in the 1930s.
Radio was a source of news and information, but, mainly, entertainment. Some of the most
popular radio shows for children were those based on their favorite cartoon characters. Read­
ers followed their adventures in daily newspapers such as the Lincoln Journal and the Omaha
World-Herald. The radio programs brought these characters to life. Buck Rogers and Little
Orphan Annie were two of the most popular radio shows that were inspired by the comic strips
during the 1930s.
While radio was the most popular
form of entertainment at home, movies
provided the entertainment outside the
house. In the 1930s, you could see two
movies or a “double feature” such as
“Ramona” and “Our Gang” for ten cents.
One of the most popular stars of the 1930s was
a child herself. In 1934, at the age of five, Shirley
Temple made her film debut. Beauty shops were
soon swamped by girls who wanted Shirley’s curly
hairdo. The dream of most little girls was to own a
Shirley Temple doll which came in a box signed by
Shirley herself!
Shirley’s success led many young Nebraskans
to dream of becoming movie stars too. People from
Hollywood came to Lincoln, Nebraska, in the late
1930s, looking for the Shirley Temple of tomorrow.
Besides movies and radio there were many other
ways to have fun. Thanks to Rural Free Delivery (RFD)
mail service, children in the country had access to maga­
zines like Boycraft, which provided numerous suggestions
for building toys. These playthings were easy to make,
inexpensive, and also fun to play with.
The first automobile was seen in
Nebraska in 1900. By 1910 there
were more than 15,000 “horseless
carriages” and “tin lizzies” in the
state. The invention of the automo­
bile required better roads so rural
families could travel to towns easier.
This is Mr. Lon Whitcomb and the
town car he built himself in 1905.
Eleven children are along for the ride
in Beatrice.
Fill in spaces with names of games or activities.
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Ongoing support for Nebraska Trailblazer is provided by The Dorothy Weyer Creigh
Memorial Endowment, established with the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation
through gifts from Thomas Creigh, Jr., in memory of his wife.
FUN AND GAMES!
ACROSS
DOWN
1. Played with flat red and black
circles.
3. Don't _________ on thin ice!
5. On a _________ built for two.
7. Sink or ______.
8. Paper ________.
9. You're IT!
13. Fun and GAMES.
16. Works best when it's downhill.
17. Sailing, sailing!
18. _____ and arrow.
19. They're biting. Let's ______.
21. Search
22. _______ elbow.
23. _____ frog.
1. Bishops and pawns.
2. ______ tac toe
3. Same as 16 across.
4. Horseback _______.
6. Blind man's ______.
10. Bowl me over! ____ pins.
11. Base______.
12. I'm X; You're O.
14. Cats-eyes and glassies.
15. Snowfort ammunition.
16. Stand tall on _______.
20. Skip or _____ rope.
Published by the Nebraska State Historical Society for
Free Distribution to Nebraska Fourth Grade Children
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NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
1500 R Street, Box 82554, Lincoln, NE 68501
www.nebraskahistory.org
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